Twice widowed, first to Arnold ("Coach") de la Perriere and second to William R. Thurman, she was born on November 5, 1924 to Robert Carter Jenkins and Frances Terrell Wingfield Jenkins. She grew up in Slade Hall, a historic Greek Revival home in Eatonton, Georgia, and was educated in the public schools of Putnam County.
She received a BA in languages from the University of Georgia and later taught high school English and Spanish, both in Oconee County and at Athens High School. From the 1960s through the 1980s, she was a deeply beloved member of the office staff at Clarke Central High School where her compassion, open-minded kindness, and generosity of spirit led many students to think of her as a "second mom."
An avid reader, a spontaneous reciter of poetry, and a devoted animal lover, she was a member of the First Baptist Church of Athens and a volunteer at the Athens Botanical Gardens and Recording For the Blind. She is survived by her daughter, Donna de la Perriere, and son-in-law, Joseph Lease, of Oakland, California.